Mulled BJ

Makes around five ‘serves’. But I haven’t done the sums on standard alcoholic drinks. I like to keep things fairly simple and not too exotic in terms of ingredient availability, but you could certainly tweak this. I prefer cinnamon sticks because I find ground cinnamon can gather in gelatinous clumps which are no fun for anyone. Nutmeg powder would be fine but freshly grated is pretty special if you’ve got it on hand.

Method

Mix the BJ, wine & cider (is there a rule about not mixing them?) and water in a large saucepan and put over a medium heat.

Throw in the cloves and nutmeg, roughly crush the cinnamon and bring to a low simmer while slicing the orange. Add the orange slices and simmer on low heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in honey, then strain through a coarse strainer (the BJ pulp will block a fine sieve), and serve.

I like BJ and I don’t like it sweet, so this suits me. You may like to add a bit more honey. Using a brandy, rather than the wine, should add a bit more warmth and depth too – but I’m yet to try it.

Let me know if you hit on a winning combo!